Friday’s stabbing suspects detained, victim still in critical condition

QUINCY (WGEM) - A victim is still in critical condition three days after 19-year old Heaton Brothers and 20-year old Dylan Test were arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and armed violence.

Police responded to the Blessing Hospital parking lot just after 11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15 for a disturbance call where Quincy Police Dep. Chief Mike Tyler said an individual found a person in need of medical attention. Tyler said the two suspects, Test and Brothers, were nearby upon their arrival to Blessing.

“They had information that the individuals, the individuals that would be the suspects, were inside Blessing Hospital, so they [police] went into the emergency room area, located the suspects and took them into custody,” Tyler said.

Test and Brothers appeared in court for the first time since their arrest. With Illinois cash bail ending on the same day, the suspects could have been detained or set free.

Adams County Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Jones told Judge Zachary Boren that high resolution surveillance video at Blessing indicated the victim was indeed stabbed by at least one of the two suspects and then proceeded to pin him between two cars and batter him.

Jones requested Boren to detain the suspects.

Quincy Assistant Public Defender Sarah Lucey argued for each of the suspects that the lack of criminal history should be taken into consideration. For Test specifically, Lucey argued that he is the primary source of income for his household as he also takes care of his mother who has Parkinson’s disease.

Lucey said Test is willing to go therapy, and suggested to Judge Boren a house arrest agreement with a GPS tracker with the exception of going to work.

Boren ruled that both suspects remain in the Adams County Jail.

Jones said situations like these are why the SAFE-T act is in place.

“If you’ve committed a serious violent offense and if you’re a danger to the community, you will sit in jail until your case is tried,” Jones said last week.

During Monday’s court proceedings, Jones said the victim, at one point over the last three days, died, but was brought back to life by doctors.

The attempted murder charge comes with a penalty of 6 to 30 years. The armed violence charge is punishable by 10 to 30 years and the aggravated battery charge is punishable by 2 to 5 years.

Test and Brothers have 14 days to appeal their detention, which Lucey said she will be doing.

Both are due in court the morning of Sept. 25.

RELATED: Two arrested after stabbing in Blessing Hospital parking lot

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